Sword Art Online: Irkalla Online
by ElijahMatt227
Summary: The final chapter of the SAO saga begins! In this real world physics driven world, the false king, Darious, plans to make the players into person soldiers to reclaim the real world. Now, a guild of kids, with the help of Kirito and all of his friends, will battle the False King!
1. Irkalla Online

Irkalla Online

Elijah Miller &amp; Jourden Hatchett

Prologue

Sitting at my computer I waited for Jourden to email me, my eyes scanning the latest Game Informer about the new virtual reality MMORPG Irkalla Online.

Two years after Sword Art Online, The World Seed and Gun Gail Online, an American company named Dawnstar Entertainment quickly started development on a new game. Although there has been a Beta, the executive of Dawnstar Entertainment has kept in the dark about the popular game. The races have been released, as well as the objective to beat the game. Known Races include; Drakes, Elves, Felinos, Man, Orks, Vampires and Werewolves. As for the objective, The player must form a guild and battle to the top of the Cathedral, a massive stone and steel arena that dwarfs Aincrad from SAO. Players from different races will level faster than others, having separate skill sets that make the race unique. Suddenly, an email popped onto my screen in rushed excitement.

"Dude, just got the game and all the DLC's! we'll meet you in the Square, Hero!"

Jourden's excitement was paramount and even though I played the Beta, my excitement was boiling in my veins. I laid into my twin-sized bed and slide the Crystal-Gear visor over my eyes after starting the game on my computer. Five icon appeared on the screen, checking all of my senses and language settings before a spectacle of crystals filled my vision and then disappeared into a white expanse. In this expanse, my body flowed through a vertex of crystals as a crisp female voice filled my ears.

"Welcome, to Irkalla Online!"

Chapter 1: Irkalla Online

A massive domed room appeared all around me, marble glistening in the white canvas of the walls. In the center of the room sat a granite chair, with seven, knee high pillars around it, forming a crescent. Each individual ambassador from every race sat atop these pillars. To the far left was a cheerful female Felinos, crouching over the pillar and waving at me. her eyes were a stunning orange, her cat-like ears perking even more with excitement as I smiled at her. The Orck, who was standing on the pillar two spaces from the Felinos, glared at me with his gleaming gold eyes and prominent grey skin. The other races seemed happy to see me; The Elf, Man, and Werewolf seemed content with my standing. The others who didn't, including the Orck, were the Vampire and Drake. The Drake flapped his wings at me, his scales glistening softly in the white hue. He resembled more of a dragon than a man, but more humanoid than anything.

I walked towards the man who stood in front of me and selected the crystal shaped icon under the feet of the bearded and scarred man. Pressing the icon caused the man to speak in a voice that range with an accent I couldn't place.

"You have chosen the race of Man. Our brothers level combat skills faster than other races. We advance best with Crusader, Fighter,Gladiator, Knight, Ranger and Warrior. If you participated in the Beta, fill out your username and password below," He smiled at me.

My smile stretched wider at the new features as an input screen appeared before me.

"Welcome, brother Matthious! Good luck on your travels and never forget; 'Defend The Weak. Combat Injustice. Vanquish Evil.," his voice range the Oath of Man we gripped each others forearms.

Crystals of colors began to flake off of the man and the marble room. As the Crystals danced around us, gusts of wind encumbust me, while the white expanse took hold of me once again.

My body felt weightless in this pause of space. I realized, suddenly, that the game wouldn't load to the Square like it did in the Beta. Bright red crystals bursts from the whiteness and swirled into darkness. Falling through the darkness, my feet met a hard surface which caused me to collapse instantly. As my eyes adjusted, Crystals of all colors seemed to swirl under my in a pillar of jubilant celebration. The surface that I seemed to be standing on seem like glas, the vortex swirling endlessly both above and below me. The spectacle of lights were both beautiful and eerie in the dark canvas of the room. A green silhouette began shimmering in the background only ten feet from me. I approached the object suspiciously and light began to shine on its face. The object in question was a seven foot tall pillar of granite, shimmering green symbols adorned the face.

As my hands caressed the cold surface, the symbols began to shimmer and glow. Symbol after symbol projected out from their carvings, as if to reach out for burst out to form a massive pillar of green light around the granite pillar.

"W-what the hell..?" I looked up at the green light above me.

The largest symbol in the center, which was written in Japanese, flew towards my chest and passed straight through my body, only to disappear. At that moment, the vortex constricted into a single beam of light over the pillar. The energy seemed to build in the pillar and caused it to crack and release a massive shockwave. Another white expanse took over me with the impact of the pillars shockwave. My body no longer felt weightless, however, only numb and unsteady. A very hard surface met me then, causing my body to feel like lead. My legs were high in the air as the ground crumbled around me. Even though I was conscience of my surroundings, my vision was very much blurred,making it harder to pull from the crater under my body. The ringing in my ears began to clear when my vision did, a guard approaching hastily towards me. He wore light armor, built for knights and his body made him look even more fearsome. When my eyesight became more clear, his more muscular features and full beard became more evident.

"Are you okay, citizen?" The man asked in a very soft voice that contradicted his appearance.

"Y-yes sir.. J-just got knocked off of my feet is all.." I answered in a wavering voice.

"Try to be careful.." he stated hesitantly as he lifted my right arm over his shoulder and pulled me from the cracked and crumbling cobblestone.

Setting me on a set of steps that lead to the Square and handed me a healing potion in a silver bottle. I weakly took it and then examined my heath bar which shown in a light hue at the top of my vision. The rectangular bar was depleted except for a third, which was flashing red. My lips pressed desperately top the bottle and I guzzled the potion. My heath gauge pinged to full green and then vanished.

"Thank you, Sir." I smiled at the guard and offered my hand.

"You're welcome, son, just be careful." He nodded and grinned back.

Shakily, I stood to my feet and examined my surroundings. The Square was the open market of Irkalla, a stone and steel circular structure with triangular prisms for markets that were connected by a series of breezeways and alleys. Standing in the center of the Square, an open arch above me for players to arrive and a circular garden surround the arch, a bouquet of roses resting inside, contrasting the red and grey stone that trailed beside the walkway that led to the stairs. looking to the sky, a massive steel and stone arena split the light blue skie in two haves. The girth of such a structure was staggering and I had to look back to peer up at the leviathan. A city stood at the feet of the steel giant, towers stretching over the Square to keep a constant and protecting vigil over the players. However, only the towers see any light as the city lives in the shadow of the towering arena.

I pulled up my map from the gilded black and custom green main menu and surveyed the mainland of Irkalla. dense forest surrounded the entirety of the island except for the western coast, which shined with a beautiful beach. To the southeast of the city is a towering mountain range, where I had a house commissioned in the beta test. Around the mainland, stretching far and hugging close to the coast, were the lands of the races. Orink, home of the Orks, Rathorn, home of the ancient Drakes, and Alvain, Kingdom of the Vampires, sat for from the mainland. On the other hand, Fathruim, home of the Werewolves, Helrend, the Province of Man, ferrine, home of the Felinos, and the homeland of the Elves, Elciel. Each powerful nation made up the world of Irkalla, however, bonds of peace between nations were tattered threads.

Stretching out my arms, a smile stretched over my face and I proceeded from the courtyard and throw the breeze way. Turning into the Armory District, which was bustling with new players, my smile widened.

"Ah.. ," taking a deep breath, I said, "Welcome home."

Striding through the crowds with ease, I made my way to a vender. Most players wore the same leather starter gear, but with different additives for variety. Some seemed as though they've never played an RPG in their lives and asked tons of questions from friends about what they need to buy. My class was always evident; a knight seemed to fit me the most, personality wise, so it seemed the logical choice. Suddenly, a short and stalky hooded figure bumped into my right side.

"Oh, I'm sorry, good sir," the man spoke from under his hood in a raspy and weary voice.

"It's no problem," I smiled and helped the staggered man regain his balance.

"Say, you look a strong adventurer.. would you mind helping me with something?"he asked meekly.

"I'd be happy to," smiling cheerfully, I accepted.

The slight man lead me from the market and back into the breezeway. we then proceeded to walk through one of the allies that separated the districts, which opened into a ten by ten walkway.

"So how exactly can I help you..?" I asked suspiciously after looking at my surroundings.

Quickly, the man spun on me with a steel dagger trained on my throat as two dark figures appeared behind him. Archers aimed their crossbows down at me from aboves us, two placed on each side of the gap.

"As a matter a fact, you can give us all of your gear," he smiled as hood fell, revealing an almost malnourished figure with paper-like skin.

"I refuse" my words were firm and calm.

With a cry of anger, the man lunged at me, the dagger poised to strike deep into my throat. Moving to the side I grabbed his wrist with my left hand and kneed him in the gut. My body moved forward quickly to elbow and kick the two guys behind him. Arrows fell like rain and caught both of the men and as I kicked from the wall on my right, My hand retrieved and released barbs up the arches' arms. My actions were repeated on the opposite wall as I backflipped.

My feet gracefully connected to the ground as my meek capture tried desperately to worm away, my foot stepping on the end of his cloak.

"No! No, please don't kill me!" he cried in a weak voice.

"Kill you? Why would i kill you, I was only defending myself."

"What's going on here?" a more gruff, strong voice echoed through the corridor.

Suddenly, another hooded figure appeared between the two of us. the dim light of the alleyway gave my eyes only the sheen of the man's armor; a deep black and blood red cloak and black leather armor. The man donned The Mantle of Sargoden, which increases the lock picking and sneak skills twenty percent. Therefore, his attire lead me to believe he was head of the Thieves Guild.

"Lord Morganis.. I..." my sniveling enemy stared at the man nervously.

"Shakel, what seems to be the problem here?" Morganis' voice was cold and calm.

"Your friend here, and other, attacked me for my gear," my voice rang softly with diplomacy.

Thus commenced a childish argument between the two man. The entire time, I never saw Morganis' face and the squavel reminded me of how me and my brother were. My chuckling quickly disbanded the bickering; Morganis holding Shakel's collar as if to hit him.

"Forgive me and my colleague for this embarrassing encounter," Morganis turned spoke softly.  
"Accidents happen and I'm not one for grudges," Smiling, I spoke.

"Indeed, so be careful out here, boy," he offered his hand.

After shaking his hand, I made my way from the alley and quickly proceeded to the Armory District with a feeling of accomplishment. However, there was a weird feeling creeping up my spine as the two men talked briefly behind me and then disappeared. As i stepped into the open market, a small, message shaped icon appeared in my vision and appeared before me.

"Hey bro! meet us in the Armory District!" The message was from Draven, Jourden's avatar.

Smiling happily, I ran towards the market and through the mass of players. Men filled most of the tented vendors, while the women who looked for weapons were as fierce as they were attracted, some even smiling at me. Spotting Draven in a huge, pale tent, I turned into the draped opening. The wide, open tent was full of weapon that hung on the walls. Countertops and display tables lined the walls with just enough room for a merchant to engage with the customer.

"Matthious!" a drake smiled at me with bright pointed teeth and faintly gleaming scales on regions of his face.

"Draven!" I said and bumped my knuckles with his.

"Glad you made it, Hero!" he said tauntingly.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you guys getting started," Smiling, I spoke/

Hyperius stepped forward then, wearing the same starter armor as everyone else had. His shirt was a light shade of blue that matched his white gloves and contrasted Draven's deep crimson shirt. Hyperius look astoundingly like Andy, who was our mutual friend from school. He stood at five seven and was sort of chunky in certain areas, but still resembled someone of youth and life.

"Good to see you've taken to the game well, Andy," I shook his hand.

"Thanks and it's Hyperius," a smile stretched over his young face.

"I'm buying guys so it's on the house!"

At that moment, a young woman stepped from the wooden door to our right. She was strikingly beautiful, with light brown hair and eyes that shone like emeralds. Embers flowed over her form the cobblestone doorway, which lead me to assume a forge was in the back. Her clothing was elegant; a black dress with stands of red and blue laced in to give more depth. Her body was very curvy, and very attractive, her breasts and hips rivaling in size. A faint blush rolled over her cheeks as she looked at me and softly cleared her throat.

"H-Hello and welcome to Alexandria's Smithing! How may I help you, gentleman?" she smiles and softly blushes as she placed her hands on the counter.

"Yes, my friends and I would like to purchase some of your wares," I strode towards the counter and smiled as I spoke.

"O-Oh .. Okay..well, we have a lot in stock so what would you like?" She eyed my incredulously.

"Guys, what do you want?" smiling at the guys.

"I'm working on the sorcerer class so i need a staff," Draven crossed his arms.

"We'll need to get that at an Arcane Enchanter's," I turned towards Hyperius, "And you?"

"Rogue is my class," he said happily.

"So either a short sword, mace or crossbow?"

"Short sword"

"Can do.. And you?" Alexandria looked at me.

"Well," pulls my steel sword from my back," I would like this refurbished, because this is the weapon I used in the beta."

"Okay.. I'll get it looked at.." she hesitated.

"Thank you ma'am," I smiled.

"Don't call me ma'am! I'm not an old lady!" she yelled and leaned over the counter, towards me.

"Eh… I didn't mean to offend you, miss.. I was only being polite," I said as I leaned away from her and blushed.

"For your information my name is Alexandria!" she stared at m e with a deeper shade of red on her cheeks.

"Well," I offered my hand,"I'm matthious and these are my comrades Draven and Hyperius."

"A-A pleasure.. ," she shook my hand.

Booming from behind the wooden door was a laugh that made the entire tent shake. A man opened the door, his chest taking up the doorway, sweat glistening of of the chiseled muscles. Black leather belts and an apron wrapped around his waist, meaning he was a black-smith.

"You made little one blush," he chuckled in a heavy voice.

"Shut up, Gavlan!" Alexandria barked at him.

In that moment, gavlan ducked under the door frame. His face was gurthy, like his body, chiseled and with a braided goatee that stretched to in the center of his chest. His eyes were a piercing blue with scars all over his face that matched his body.

"Make Gavlan!" he taunted with a wide smile.

"Gavlan," I smiled and strode toward him, with my sword sheathed, in my hand," Could you refurbish this?"

" .. This guy is legit on steroids.." Hyperius whispered to Draven behind me.

Gavlan watched my face for a moment, then smiled. He took the blade from my outstretched hands and unsheathed it. The hilt was a standard steel with a rounded pommel, while the blade was straight and carried in the center a curving decorative carving. Two sections on either sides of the blade, close to the hilt guard turn outward and the back in, forming a triangular shape. Gavlan's voice made me jump as he cheered at the sword.

"This is great blade," he cheered almost cheerfully and then worked on it, taking it to the back.

While Gavlan worked on my sword, draven and I went and bought his staff. The one he chose was a emerald and wooden staff with an assortment of enchantment crystals. Along with that, draven bought the Cloak of Arcane Clarity, which adds to his concentration with spells. Returning to see Hyperius and gavlan waiting for us, I thanked the hulking man and admired Hyperius' Rogue class attire. His suit Washed over him in a sleek fashion, a sash and slight cloak flew off of him in the light breeze. The three of us then set out to an armorer for my gear. The gear that caught my eye was a set a plated silver armor with a leather under harness. the breast plate connected under the ribcage, connecting to the back with the under harness. The rest connected together at the intersection of my chest muscles and shoulders while the gauntlets left a space for my green undershirt to be seen and connected like a belt on my forearm in three straps. The boots did the same, ending before the knee were plated section of armor.

"Don't you think you look silly in that?" Draven criticized.

"I like it, bro," looks at him incredulously," What's with the criticizing?"

"You look like a tool, Hero," he chuckles deeply at me, hyperius joining him.

As we left the Armory District, the afternoon sun fell upon the square with a sheet of golden orange. we walked from the Square and could clearly see the city that sat at the base of the massive steel arena. Then, a thundering sound blew through the air with great violence; the bell that rested at the top of the cities tallest tower called for complete attention. Suddenly, my two companions and I were taken over by a spectral of blue crystals. When the crystals faded, our surroundings came into light. The walls of a huge domed room were dark grey, held together by huge steel beams that ran all along the walls and contoured the wall. The ceiling looked as the walls did; grey with a set of steel rings for support. There was nothing in the room apart for the horde of players who were all questioning each other as to why we were brought here. A stage sat in front of the mass of players, a gilded throw sat atop it.

"Welcome, players," a professional voice called through the hall as a figure strode from behind the throne.

The figure wore a black hood with deep grey and black armor. Only when he sat on the throne did his face become slightly visible to the onlooking crowd.

"Many of you are now wondering why I have summoned all of you here. Firstly, I welcome you to my kingdom. I am Darious, ruler of Irkalla and the developer of Irkalla Online. My reason for creating the game was to create and command my own breed of soldiers to reclaim our country and our world! "

Silence fell over the three-hundred thousand players that stared at the Dark King. Many mumbled to their friends in vulgar tones, criticizing the words of our self appointed ruler.

"My words speak only truth and if you die in the game, meaning, your HP drops to zero, …," his voice changed into a menacing tone," Your Crystal-Gear visor will explode! Which brings me to this," images of newscasts appeared over our heads as he spoke and raised his gloved hand.

"These are live. No one will unplug the Crystal-Gear or you will die. Thanks to the Sword Art Online incident, Americans know not to interfere with my business!" he chuckled.

"So.. Why are you training us to be your soldiers..?" a guy in the front asked as I moved through the crowd, Draven and Hyperius quick on my heels.

"The president is an idiot and our nation is ridiculed by nations the world over! We are pawns in the worlds eye. With the challenges you face in the Cathedral, all will be ready for the New Nation! As you progress, you will become stronger, more powerful in combat and with those skills, you shall be sent into the homes of the weak and strike them down! The guild that reaches the one hundredth floor will be given the greatest power to conquer America! That is why!" Darious chuckled happily, smirking in a grim, twisted smile.

"But innocent people will be slaughtered for no reason! And the military is far more advanced than we are here," I spoke loudly as I walked through the front of the crowd.

"Which is why with this power," Darious stood," You will lead my Undead Army across the world!"

"This is bull!" a kid beside me said," You're a liar and a dumbass if you think we'd go along with th-"

A swipe of Darious' hand and the boy crumpled to the ground, crimson flooding from his throat. A strand of purple light shined on the fingertips of his outstretched right hand, standing in front of his throne. I stared at the boy as he crumbled to the ground, catching him and holding him as he gargled blood in his mouth.

"To squash any disbelief," he smiled," look at what happens to those who defy me."

A portal opened above us all, a room was portrayed in the bordered purple screen. A young man was laying on a bed across from our view, an open window on the wall on which his bed sat. I looked at the kid and I was holding as his health bar drained quickly. My vision raced between the view of the portal, to the boy as his hp hit zero.

"No!" I screamed as the Crystal-Gear detonated, blood and brain tissue filling the wall and screen of the portal as the player faded to grey, then dissolved into millions of red crystals.

"Darious!"I stared up at the false king, enraged as the red crystals swarmed around me.

"He was unfit for my world. Now all of you know that this is serious!" he said as he walked from the stage toward me.

"He was an innocent civilian! You're going to kill innocent people for no reason!" I stood and my hands turned to fits at my side, Draven grabbing my shoulder.

"Was he?" Darious smirked,"There are no innocent people, only cattle, only the corrupt and the soon to be corrupted."

"I won't stand by as you murder innocent poeple!" I glared as he was inches in front of me, Draven pulling my left shoulder.

"We can you do? What are you willing to do to protect people?" he smiled.

In that moment, we stared at each others, his golden eyes peering at me from under the black hood. My anger swelled at his smirking, stubbled face with every second that inched by. In a way, he was much like my own father in his features; strong jaw and nose with deep piercing eyes. Except my father was far more compassionate than this cruel tormentor. My body began to move quickly, a straight punch to the face of the false king. Darious blocked with a muscular forearm, my knuckles nicking his face. The crowd around us was stunned in awed silence at the scene before them. Darious punched my stomach, sending my flying backward through the crowd of people, toppling Hyperius and Draven, along with onlookers in the crowd.

"Way to go, Hero!" Draven groaned, "You pissed him off!"

"Dude, we're screwed!" Hyperius chanted under me as I stood with my sword drawn.

"I won't stand for this! People are not cattle and their lives have value, you bastard!" I yelled at him as he lunged.

Flipping the blade to guard my forearm, Darious punched the blade. The blade began to break apart as I flipped it back to poise for attack. He smiled and stood solemnly satisfied at his work before speaking again.

"You see, you are too weak to fight me, Matthious." he smile widened," But I do believe you will be the one to face me at the end of the game."

"You can bet on it," I said as I sheathed my sword.

"Oh, as a perk I copied from SAO," he chuckled,"Check your inventories, everyone."

I opened my main menu and looked through my item list. A mirror sat on top of the list and my finger presses softly to the icon to view it. A small, silver embroidered mirror appeared in my palm, people became surrounded in red crystals all around us as Darious gave one last phrase.

"Good luck with your lives, Players," his voice called through the hall.

His gaze did not leave me as the display surrounded my body as well. Through the thick veil that swirled over me, the Dark King peered at me with an ever present intent that I didn't understand. The air was thick with slow movement and an eeriness that clung to me like a mask of nervous energy. As if to watch my expression, he smiled with a cheerfulness that made my stomach churn with unease. The whiteness consumed my companions and I, whisking us away to places unknown in this death game called Irkalla Online.

November 26, 2026


	2. Guildsmen

Chapter 2: Guildsmen

There were no words. There was no explaining the terror that locked itself deep inside of my heart. Even the sun's mid afternoon orange hues could not make the knot in my stomach unravel. I just laid there, grass laced between my fingers, every part of my body numb from the encounter with Darious. Draven stood then, balling his fists in anger. His appearance had changed from the taller, more lean Drake; now he resembled his normally shorter, more broad frame. Anger boiled over his caramel skin, his now bronze eyes glowing slightly in the sun.

"Dammit!" he barked loudly," What the hell are we going to do now?"

"What can we do … " Hyperius spoke up, but nothing more than a low mumble.

Hyperius had changed as well; now he stood slightly shorter than Draven, but with a more childish frame, being fourteen.

"We are going to be annihilated!" Draven yelled at him, "There's nothing we _can_ do!"

My fists balled over that. Darious' smirking face filled my mind, as did the young boy that died in my arms. I can't.. I'm … I'm not strong enough.. That kid.. Died in my arms and I did nothing.. Dad.. Logan.. There faces filled my mind then, pulling me out from the cloud of despair. There was no way that I could die in this world or let Darious kill my family.. I refuse to let that happen. To many people, too many innocent people's lives hang in the balance. Another bastard with a big stick thinks he can take lives for sport..

"We fight," I spoke softly.

"Are you serious?!" Draven barked even more as he grabbed my collar, "You saw what happened in there. That kid got greased with the swipe of Darious' hand and here you are wanting to take him on again after getting the floor mopped with you?!"

He stared into my face for a moment with gritted teeth; my hair over casting my eyes. He dropped me roughly to the ground and, literally, roared in anger. Hyperius, who was sitting a few feet from me and was holding his knees to his chest, looked over at me with terror.

"Matthious.. How.. How do we fight him..?" He asked lowly.

"We do what he says," I sat up slowly, "We build a guild and beat the arena."

"Just the three of us?" Draven raised an eyebrow at me.

"With others. This isn't something the three of us can do on our own."

"Well, I'm sure _everyone_ is wanting to join us after the little spat between you and Darious," Draven scuffed.

"So who do we recruit?" Hyperius looked up at me.

"You're an idiot.." Alexandria chastised me.

"Yeah, like I haven't been called that today," I chuckled slightly to myself.

We sat in the back room of Alexandria's Smith Shop. It was no more than a twenty by fourteen foot stone room with dark wood floors. Alexandria stood behind a crescent shaped counter, where she laid out the tools used in the forge. I sat in front of her in a high stool as she criticised me on what happened in the arena and my decision afterwards. Gavlan stood at the forge itself, only a few feet to the right of Alexandria and I. Embers blasted on his skin, his muscles moving under them like boulders under a sheet.

Strangely, Gavlan had the same gruff, and muscular form hadn't changed since the announcement. Although, Alexandria had changed; her hair shorter, darker and her body slightly skinnier than her avatar was. Draven and Hyperius sat behind us, playing chess on a small, round table that cleared their knees just barely. Draven seemed to have an advantage over Hyperius at every turn. The walls of the dark stone were adorned with all sorts of weapons; swords, maces, axes, everything with the exception of staffs.

"So.. where are these recruits of yours going to come from?" Alexandria asked.

"Well, I was sorta hoping you and Gavlan could join up with us."

"W-Wha.. U-Us?" she stared at me blushing and shocked.

Gavlan pressed the finished blade into the ice water to his right, before dipping the blade again into a blazing inferno to his farthest right, which clung to the wall and was made of the same type of dark stone. After releasing the blade from the fiery oven, he cooled it in water again before walking with it towards me.

"Holy Avenger," He smiled cheerfully.

"Wow.." I examined the white blade and thick hilt guard speechlessly.

"No break," Gavlan warned before handing it to me.

He handed it to me, hilt first. I softly grasped it in my hand, stepping back, away from him for a moment before swinging it a few times. It was heavy, the hilt guard thick and white with a line that divided three circular indentations. The decorative piece was drawn delicately onto the spade and cone shaped piece on either side of the guard. Extending outward was the white blade, wide and strong just like the hilt guard. It was absolutely perfect and it worked well with me; as though it was forged for my soul.

"Thank you, Gavlan," I smiled widely at him as he threw me the sheath, which I quickly pulled around my shoulder and placed my new blade.

"Me join," Gavlan stood beside Alexandria, a smithing hammer over his shoulder.

"I.. I guess.." she sighed," I'm in."

"That's great!" I smiled happily at them both.

"But," Alexandria raised her hand to my cheers," We need to talk on a few things first."

"Like what?"

"The mechanics of Irkalla," Draven said from behind us as he beat Hyperius in their chess game, "Check mate"

"Well, Irkalla Online is a real world physics drive game developed by a small group form Zaskar, the company behind Gun Gale Online. Everything you can do is based upon all that you can do in the real world. Based on your body type you'll be able to perform certain maneuvers or actions that other players may not; it all depends on what you can do in the real world. The technology has evolved enough that every touch, smell or sound is most accurate to the real world. This also means that pain receptors are more prominent, but do not cause extreme effects in real life.

"As for player mechanics, there is no auto aiming or target assist, so _you_ have to make it happen. Something like Sword Skills, called Critical Attacks, are more like a finishing combo, but look like a Sword Skill from SAO. Also, there is a way of conditioning your body to perform better, like working out or training. Just like the real world.. Also, race and class play an import part in how your stats look overall. Being a knight, my strength, dex, endurance and constitution are higher than Hyperius', however, he may have a higher dex, intelligence or charisma due to his class...You can bleed to death. Getting your throat cut, stabbed in the abdomen, and if your arm is severed without medical attention, will cause death." I said in a sturn, even tone.

"As for enemies and leveling scales, it's a bit more complex. Just like conditioning your body, if you wish to improve, you have to use the same skill continuously to improve it effectiveness. As warriors in our world have been for centuries, you'll continuously get better the more you fight and level up; your body changing to the degree of your level. Enemies are on a whole different playing field though. The NPC boss or opponent you fight will either be two to ten levels above your own. Only major arena bosses are higher than seven and can seriously do some damage. Player opponents will be different because it's hard to tell the level your opponent will be. There are guilds, like the Blood Moon and Thieves Hand that kill players. They can do this even in towns and villages because there is no rule governing otherwise. There is the main quest of beating the arena, but there are assorted quests and dungeons scattered all over the world. Think of irkalla as earth, so may places to explore and unique wildlife.."

"So.. we're screwed either way?" Hyperius asked from his chair.

"No. We can beat it, I know we can" I looked at him seriously.

"Darious said that we needed to build our guild right, where do we go for HQ?" Draven spoke up then, folding his arms.

"I have a place," I said and smiled happily.

"You have a place, already?" Alexandria questioned.

"Yep," I said and stood for a moment, stretching, " I got it as a pre-order bonus."

"Lucky ass," Draven shook his head.

"What's a pre-order bonus?" Hyperius asked.

"It's a item that you can get in the game that only comes when you pre-order a game. Some were other items like weapons or xp," Draven punched his shoulder roughly.

"Well, I hope you can accommodate a half Vampire and a Dwarf," Alexandria said under her breath.

"You're a vampire?!" Draven, Hyperius and I said at once, in surprise.

"Yep"

"And he's a Dwarf?!" we said again.

"I thought the Dwarves were all killed off a thousand years ago?" Draven spoke up behind me.

"Me last Dwarf.. " Gavlan pressed his fist over his heart sadly,"My kin all die thousand years ago.. Me all there is.."

"Damn.. " Hyperius shook his head.

I walked up to the hulking Dwarf and offered my hand, smiling up at him.

"We'll make your kin proud." I said softly.

He nodded with a wide grin and shook my hand back as carefully as he could. Alexandria and Gavlan gathered all that they required for the trip while Draven and I bartered with a carriage driver for a ride into the Rah'kin Mountains. The mountains themselves were located due east of the arena hundred miles and, unfortunately, the teleport gate in the Square only can be used through another gate channel. With these channels one could travel from their kingdom or city into the Square. Luckily, the guild home that I was given in the pre-order bonus has a teleport gate, however, we need a ride to get there first.

"How much for five to the Rah'kin Mountains"

"That's ten gold pieces a person." the driver said coarsely.

"Yes sir," I said and quickly paid him before climbing into the wide and covered wooden carriage.

Steadily, all of us piled into the carriage; even Gavlan, without damaging anything also. The driver stopped Draven, gripping his bicep and staring deep into his eyes with hate that seemed etched into his soul.

" I will _not_ allow _you_ to ride, filth!" he said menacingly.

"And why is that?" I asked from behind the driver.

"He's a damn Drake" he yelled at me,"I won't ferry his _kind_."

"Stop," Hyperius grabbed the driver's shoulder," We'll pay you two hundred pieces for his ride."

"Fine, just this once!" he said and began to take us through the mountain pass.

We were then off into the mountains. Considering the drivers pissed off attitude, we blazed through the mountain pass that cut through a beautiful valley filled with rare and unusual flowers. We then dipped into a tunnel formed from curved and melded tree branches. More of the same unique flowers adorned the inside of the tunnel, orange light showing through the gaps in the canopy. As we approached the exist, bright, bewildering light welcomed us through its warm glow. The tunnel opened into a open lakefront view, a Bluff stretching out teen feet over and slanted over the water. The bluff itself seemed to jet out of the white sand, a path curving around the lake and along the mountain in the background. The water sat still, shimmering a beautiful crystal blue.

We steadily made our way down the gravel path along the face of the mountain. Rounding the mountain, the woods greeted us, the wall of trees stopping our advance.

"Thanks for the ride," I said and jumped from the wooden carriage.

"Right.. Just remember this is a one time thing," the drive mumbled at me crossly while everyone exited our ride.

He drove away, leaving us at the cusp of the treeline. Light shone through the canopy of the tall oaks, animals calling from hidden dwellings. Draven stepped closer to me and wore a face of criticism.

"This is it?" he asked incredulously,"A forest in the middle of nowhere?"

"Not quite.." I said with as smile as I walked towards the trees.

I was then absorbed into an invisible sheen that resembled the forest. Ripples in the liquid fabric flowed all around me as I passed completely through the camouflage. Everyone stood on the other side in bewilderment at what had happened.

"Come on guys, we're almost there!" I called excitedly.

Draven and Hyperius passed through first; Hyperius with his eyes closed and arms out in front of him. Gavlan carried Alexandria on his right shoulder, his other arm full of smithing gear. I nodded towards them and smiled as the trail in front of us lead far ahead of us and to the left, a curved canopy over our heads as we walked.

"So, an enchantment protects the home, huh?" Draven smiled at me,"The spell seems far too powerful to be cast by you."

"The spell was already in place my friend," I said as I chuckled, clapping his right shoulder.

We walked further into the overlaying foliage. The sun trickled through the canopy to illuminate our path every few feet. The gravel path curved to the left, a grey archway barely visible through the trees. Walking further and further, both the archway and the lite exterior of the home came into view. The archway was made of carved stone and hung looming over our heads. The surrounding area was nothing more than tall grass and overlapping trees, which was guarded by a fence that ran along the path up to the porch. The covered porch and first floor were made of wooden planks that contrasted the protruding stone above the held the second floor. As for the second floor; it was also built from wood, with stone supports on the outside for support against any serious attack.

"You got _this_?!" everyone spoke, astonished, and at the same time.

"Yep," I said chuckling,"It's bigger on the inside. Gavlan, I have to ask you to wait here until I can show you to your quarters."

He nodded as I lead the rest of our group into the house. A open living room sat to our left; two couches facing each other in the center of the room, with a coffee table and small bookshelves behind them that held up ferns and roses. Lamps sat in the corners and the two slender, long windows even spaced apart and provided adequate view of the front yard. A staircase stretched up to our right, into the living quarters and a wall divided the hallway beside it from the stairs. Down that hallway and illuminated by lamps, was a small bathroom with a sink, hand towel rack and a single toilet in the corner. A ceiling light lite the room and the dark wood floors really shown in contrast to the lighter walls. To the right of that was the library; an open ten by three by seven foot room with slender windows, towering bookshelves, paintings, and two tables with matching chairs.

Draven all but bounced in excitement at the library, his bronze eyes lighting up happily.

"I thought you would be pleased with this, Draven," I smiled at his as the others marveled.

"It's okay.. " his face quickly changed back.

I lead them back through the corridor and to the large twelve by sixteen dining area which dipped down a set of small stairs and only a foot deep. The table was lit by a beautiful chandelier and could accommodate twenty people. Paintings sat upon the wall in front of us and to both the right and left where long tables that sat along the walls; housing the food that was brought from the kitchen. The kitchen itself was down the small hallway to our left with a small closet that housed cabinets of food. The tiche itself was a long and slightly narrow room with the same long and slender windows that hung over the light brown counters and double sink. Opposite the sink and counter is the oven and stone, a dark grey with green hand towels hanging from the oven door handle. A small fridge and cabinet sat beside the oven, the cabinet itself the same shade as the counters. Laps in the far corners of the room provided great light for preparing meals.

"You must like to cook," Alexandria said softly behind me.

"I do and I'm pretty good!" I smiled and chuckled softly.

The hallway on the other side of the kitchen lead into the kitchen and a doorway to the left that stretched into a long, somewhat crooked hallway that doubled as a sitting area and an entryway to the forge and outside, The sitting area was a few feet wider than either side of the thin hallway; the walls lined with bookshelves, tables and chairs. The forge was through the next open doorway on the left. It opened into a thirty by twenty foot room with a twelve by fifteen depression in the center of the room, an open flame blazing beside an anvil and a long , wide cauldron of water. In the righter most corner was a wall of furnaces and a crescent shaped workbench a few feet in front of it. A few feet from the forge, on the wall across from the flames, was a bench and storage units for potion crafting. a few feet to the left of that is a small enchanting station, with a table, bookshelves and potion storage. An elongated square room sat beside the furnaces, housing stores of materials and books for creating weapons, enchantments and potions. There was also a bed in the corner of that room as you turn through the doorway.

"W-Wow.. This is so cool!" Hyperius cheered behind me and Alexandria's face shined happily.

I lead down the other end of the hallway then and outside; a gravel path stretched forward and curved before us, a covered patio to our left and a gazebo in view ahead of us, We followed the path and examined the long, wide patio that housed a long table with seating arrangements for twenty and a beautiful chandelier. The gazebo was round and wide, holding two long couches and two chairs facing each other with a table between them, chess pieces resting on top. Following the curving path, we came to a large training pad and a long, thin patio that stretched the length of the house's width. It was made of chiseled stone and enhanced to suit the needs of any training situation.

Quickly, I ran around the house to lead Gavlan back through the house and into the forge. Gavlan stated he didn't sleep on a bed so the accommodations were fit for such a hulking all but cried at the blazing stones and the smell of fresh anvil. The last thing to do was to visit the living quarters upstairs. I lead our group up the staircase by the forge room. The staircase lead to a wide sitting room with open windows complete with a couch, small coffee table and fresh flowers on either side of the couch. A long hallway stretched from this sitting room, lined with doors on either side of the hall. A final doorway sat at the end of the fall, which opened into a massive bedroom and shower; this room was for the Guild Commander. The other rooms were ten in number and could hold two roommates at any time. All were small, but luxurious to say the least.

"Ladies on the left, gentleman on the right" I smiled.

Everyone piled it separate rooms and settled into their person living accommodations. Draven roomed with Hyperius and Alexandria open the door across from them. Mild bickering could be heard from the room that the Drake and Thief shared as they got their things in order.

"Haha.. Maybe if we could bathe Draven in ice we could Have Hyperius sleep at night.. hahah. Meet me outside on the pad when you're done."

I stood on the white stone and stretched for a while. Gavlan had already been waiting for a moment, his arms crossed over his wide chest. Alexandria quickly followed alongside Hyperious and Draven. I instructed them to stand up on the pad and listen closely to what was said.

"If we are going to be in a guild together, we need to see how well of of us fight. My uncle taught myself and my brother a bit of martial arts when we were growing up, so I will teach it to you as well. All of you need to know a few things first.. It's not all about the sword, the ability to throw around a blade. You need to be a well rounded combatant to win in situations where utilizing your weapon will be difficult. We will move from unarmed combat to weapons and then team building skills. Any questions?"

"U-Uh… You have all this planned out already..?" Draven looked at me incredulously.

"Yes, I did. If we have a chance, we need to do all we can to prepare"

They all looked at each other and then at me. I motioned them forward and stood ready for anything. Hyperious and Draven stood ten feet apart, Alexandria behind their position in the middle. With a nod, Draven leapt at me with a wild haymaker. I acted instinctively, blocking with my left hand to swat away the attack before landing a solid punch to his cheek. Hyperious closed the gap at my right and sung openly, allowing my elbow to slam into his nose, my foot pushing his back out, causing him to fall past me. Alexandria landed a punch to my face, sending me stumbling back a bit before a wild kick whizzed passed. I pushed her away and back flipped, Draven running at me with another forceful punch to which I blocked and kicked him away.

Hyperius lunged and flew passed me to hit his head on the pad with a loud thud and a whining noise. Alexandria glared at me and stood ready to charge, staring at my composed face. My own stance was charged with defense, my legs shoulder width apart and arms ready to block. he speed was already so blinding; making my body react to her blurred movements. A solid punch to the cheek sent me back onto the stone platform and I instinctively rolled to a stop. She kept lunging forward with the same blinding pace and it too all I had to evade her. My face was numb with pain, making my movements more sluggish. Her vampirism increased her strength and agility so much that I was sweating bullets.

I caught her next punch and pushed her stomach to gain some distance. The next option would be to anticipate her movements to gain an advantage. With her next lung, I placed my foot against her to falter her speed and caught her waist.

"And here I thought vampires were fast," I teased with a chuckle.

She wasn't in the mood for my joking and grabbed my arm from her stomach and threw me across the pad. I stopped my slid quickly with my hands and ran forward. Flipping diagonally, I kicked her side and sent her tumbling. Her recovery was almost immiscible, followed by a pissed off shriek.

"Wow.. Looks like she's giving him a run for his money," Draven Scuffed from beside the mate.

"Better than we did," Hyperius sat there and began to pout.

Another wild attack was launched by my beautiful opponent. I made sure to evade to the left and catch her wrist and locking it behind her. As I did, her leg came up to clip my arm slightly. I held her there and panted for a second; her speed still a major factor in our bout.

"You smile lovely.. Like.. roses and .. embers." I smiles playfully.

This set her off for the final time; She moved forward blindingly and kicked my stomach, swinging around to hit me square in the face with full force. I flew out towards the edge and half slide off. I scrabbled to stay on and goofily flipped to crawl on my stomach to get off the edge.

"W-Wow.. What a punch.."I smiled and stood, my nose bleeding profusely.

Alexandria stood perfectly still, frozen in place at the site of me. I only looked at her in confusion as she stood horrified.

"W-What..? Is there something in my teeth?" I picked at my teeth for a moment.

"Get out of there you idiot!" Draven roared over to me.

At that moment Alexandria's outwardly appearance began to change. Her eyes burned red with hunger, the iris of her eyes shifting from green to crimson in a matter of seconds. The pallor of her skin changed to a faint shade of grey, her teeth now fangs. She now, in a speed unseen by my eyes, she was lifted from the ground. Held by Gavlan, a mere eight inches from my face, she struggled desperately in his massive arms. She clawed and ripped at his arms and face and yet he stood with no emotion on his face.

"I'm sorry.. "Gavlan muttered to me as her shrieks continued,"Be back in morning.. "

"Okay.. I promise it's fine. " I nodded up at him as he carried her off.

Draven jumped up beside me and shook his head. His face roiled in anger and some of disappointment in my actions.

"This is on you," he scolded,"You just had to get all.. flirty with her"

"It was just playful banter.. " I bumped his shoulder.

"Whatever. Just be more carefully. Between me and the vampire, our party seems to be more volatile than I originally thought.. "

"I'm sure we can work things out," I only smiled.

"Stupid fool.."

To our east came a rustling from the trees. Our heads quickly turned to see what it was and the bushes parted as a tall, armored warrior strode towards us. He said nothing, wearing silver plate armor with a purple tunic underneath that ran between his legs and draped off both sides of his legs. From under his hood, we could only see the piercing orange eyes that seemed to peer into the soul. I jumped from the platform and smiled happily.

"So you finally found us huh? Took your damn time with it too!"

"It wasn't easy getting up here you know," said the figure as he lowered his hood.

He was lean, dark brown hair flowing to his shoulders. A strong nose and jawline framed his face, along with squinty, mesmerizing eyes. This was my brother, Logan, his avatar, Orsoe Sabbath, first son of the House of BloodMoon.

"Nice to see you, Little brother,"I chuckled happily.

"Wait a minute, _little brother_?" Hyperious chimed in and trotted beside us.

"Nice appearance Logan," Draven spoken softly,"If you were here, why didn't you join us at the launch announcement?"

"I was there, but after we were all teleported out of there I had to deal with an unsavory quest in my homeland," he crossed his arms,"So as of now I am the ruler of the BloodMoon House. Oh, and way to get knocked on your ass there, _Hero_."

"Haha, thanks for your concern, shit-bird," I chuckled,"Or should I say, Orsoe Sabath?"

"So what's the name of the guild?"

"O-Oh.. um.. i haven't named it yet.. or created one yet.. "I chuckled a bit embarrassedly.

I pulled up my menu and moved to the guild menu. I clicked the small plus to create one and filled out the information. I sent Orsoe a friend request and then added him and the rest of us into the guild. I froze on the name and hovered my finger over it. That boys bloody face popped into my head at that moment. The way Darious thought human life was expendable, how all of us are his slaves turned soldiers.. That isn't a life I wanted to live, or see others live… I wanted our name to embody what direction I want us to go. To show everyone that we can beat this darkness that has swallowed us all up.. To show virtue, truth, justice, patience, kindness and peace. I typed in the name and pressed create. Everyone around me got the request to join all at the same time, everyone taking the time to read through the information provided. Only Draven spoke up about the name.

"Irkalla Knights.. Really?"


End file.
